Training alone vs. working out with a team

Good for you! I haven't had much of a chance to compete in races because I'm in Juneau, AK, but I think that participation in competition can be inspiring. I did go to one meet in Oklahoma while I was still there and had a great time. I met a lot of competitors at a whole range of ability levels, all were encouraging and very nice! Also if you have the ability to sign up and go with a group I'd say go for it. The coach should be able to help you with workout strategies and techniques that can get you improvements more quickly than on your own. Good luck! -J

You absolutely should not be embarrassed to show up either at a practice or a meet. I very strongly recommend you try a masters group, the coach will help you with technique and having people to swim with will motivate you. Talk to the coach beforehand, discuss your goals and current speed and s/he will let put you with lane mates of similar ability. As far as meets go, as I said you shouldn't worry about your speed; compete if you enjoy it and use it to help gauge your progress. Use others if you wish to race and get faster, or ignore everyone else in your heat and just swim against the clock. There is nothing like an actual meet to get you "up" for a race, and you'll have a chance to swim in a nice meet in your area in early November. Plenty of time to prepare; good luck!

should I not compete until I see my times in training drop? Competing is one of the things that can help make you faster. Race pace swimming is not always that easy to replicate in practice, so definitely keep up the meet participation.

If you enjoy competing, then compete. No need to wait. Master's teams are pretty laid back. The coach will help you with your stroke, which will help you with your speed and you will try to fit in with what everyone else is doing, which will improve your endurance. Everyone who has not swam before starts out slow and most people remember the experience and are considerate to the new swimmers. Many people relive the "new" feeling by taking time off and returning out of shape and slow again. I will warn you, the first couple weeks I started swimming with a masters team, I couldn't bend my arms very well. Don't feel bad if you need to get out of practice early to keep your buildup gradual. It is much better than developing shoulder problems from adding too much too soon (I've done that too... twice). I suggest building up time before distance. Get comfortable swimming an hour with lots of breaks and then try not to skip stuff. Get used to swimming several times a week before swimming long practices. Good luck, have fun.

I concur with everything people have said above, and I must add that swimming just 850 yards will not bring improvement. If you have never swum laps in your life until this year, you should give yourself some time to adapt to the sport. To swim in your first meet four months after starting can be daunting, and your body is just getting used to swimming. If you are stuck at a particular time, it usually means your body is getting over a hump, and once it gets used to swimming, you should see improvement. I congratulate you on swimming alone (even if it is only 850 yards). If I had to do that every day, I would have quit! Masters teams are fun, low-key and offer motivation within the group you swim with, and within the team as a whole. If you can only make 1,000 yards in the first workout, don't feel bad. Pretty soon, you'll be doing 3,000 no problem!

Jeff brings up a good point that 850 yards is very minimal. Even at 1:00/50 this would take you 17 minutes. Most masters groups are going to be in the water for an hour minimum. Are you ready for that? Obviously most coaches aren't going to force you to do the entire workout the first time, but I think you need to be willing to work up to that level quickly. I'm not trying to discourage you, but I really think if you are going to join a team you need to be willing to put in the commitment the team expects. Good luck!

I wasn't going to show up to the Masters workout until I am at 1,000m/workout at least. Should it be higher? Maybe, but don't let that stop you from giving it a try. The only way you'll know is going to a masters workout and trying! The reason why I went to the punchcard option was that I wasn't going to be able with my schedule go to most practices, so it's more economical than a monthly fee. Plus, at the beginning, I know the workouts are going to be an adjustment. I think this is a good plan. It's hard to know without seeing you swim, but odds are you have some serious technical issues in your stroke mechanics. If you can make your stroke more efficient you'll be amazed by how much farther you'll be able to swim. A good coach will be able to help you immediately.

I am gradually adding to it each month. I wasn't going to show up to the Masters workout until I am at 1,000m/workout at least. Should it be higher?When I first started swimming with a masters group about 2 1/2 years ago, I was very worried about being fast enough and if I was somehow holding the group back. Looking back, the only regret is that I didn't start with them on day one. My guess is that you will get to 2000m (or whatever your swimming goals are) a lot faster with a group than you will alone.

I am aware that one the biggest reasons why I am not improving on speed is that my yardage each workout right now is low. I am mainly working on getting my strokes comfortable. I am gradually adding to it each month. I wasn't going to show up to the Masters workout until I am at 1,000m/workout at least. Should it be higher? I am wanting to work up to a lot of yardage but I don't think I can do a workout at 2,000m+ by myself. The reason why I went to the punchcard option was that I wasn't going to be able with my schedule go to most practices, so it's more economical than a monthly fee. Plus, at the beginning, I know the workouts are going to be an adjustment.

Now I am nervous about 1) showing up and being with swimmers who qualified for Nationals, and 2) having a coach who sees how slow I am. I see you're from Virigina Beach. I dropped in on a few workouts in Virginia Beach when I was there on vacation. The swimmers and coach were very welcoming. As they have been any time I've dropped in on another team's workout. I think most masters teams have fast people, slow people, people who can't kick, people who love to kick, people who have been swimming for 40 years and people who just started this year. I'm sure there will be someone in the pool around the same speed as you to train with. And once you dive in the pool you'll forget about being nervous and start enjoying the camaraderie of swimming with a team.